Jamestown, ND — January 21, 2026, a pedestrian was killed in a truck accident at about 4:30 p.m. in the 400 block of 4th Street Northeast.

Authorities said a semi-truck hit a pedestrian who was crossing the street as it turned west from 5th Avenue Northeast.

The 16-year-old pedestrian died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver was not injured, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Stutsman County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a truck turning at an intersection struck and killed a pedestrian, their first question is usually some version of, “How could that even happen?” That’s the right question to ask. A semi-truck doesn’t just lurch into a crosswalk on its own. Something went wrong — either with the driver’s actions, the visibility at the intersection or possibly even how the turn was executed — and figuring out what that was will require more than just the official report.

Authorities said the pedestrian was crossing the street as the truck turned onto 4th Street from 5th Avenue. But that leaves us with some critical unanswered questions. Was the pedestrian in a marked crosswalk? Did they have the right of way? Was the truck driver looking in the correct direction when making the turn? Depending on how those questions are answered, this crash could be the result of a simple visibility issue, or it could reflect something more serious, like inattentiveness or poor situational awareness by the driver.

From my experience litigating truck accident cases, one thing is always true: you can't rely solely on surface-level details. Investigations need to go deeper. For example, what kind of visibility did the truck have on that corner? Many intersections are poorly designed for large vehicles to turn safely. Was the truck equipped with side-view cameras or proximity sensors? Did it have an in-cab camera that captured the driver’s actions leading up to the turn?

And perhaps most importantly: what does the truck’s ECM (engine control module) show? That data can tell us the speed, gear, braking and steering inputs at the time of the crash. If the driver was distracted, say by a cell phone, that could be uncovered through call or text records. But none of that information gets reviewed unless someone asks for it. And in my experience, that “someone” usually isn’t law enforcement. It often takes a civil investigation to demand that level of scrutiny.

Another concern worth raising is what role the trucking company may have played. Was the driver adequately trained to handle urban deliveries? Had they been on the road too long without rest? I’ve handled cases where a trucking company put a driver behind the wheel who had no business being there. In one case, the driver had been fired from multiple jobs before getting hired after only a 20-minute road test. If something similar happened here, that’s not a one-time mistake; it’s a companywide failure in judgment.

Ultimately, this is about getting to the truth; not just who was at fault, but why the systems in place didn’t prevent this from happening. The right evidence can tell that story. But until it’s gathered and analyzed, all we have are partial answers.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear whether the pedestrian had the right of way or was in a marked crosswalk when struck.
• Important evidence — including dash cam footage, ECM data and phone records — can clarify the truck driver’s actions during the turn.
• Intersection design and visibility may also be factors in how the crash occurred.
• The trucking company’s training, supervision and hiring practices should be closely examined.
• A full investigation is necessary to understand what led to this fatal incident and who is responsible.